I Miss You
by kensi54382
Summary: Jason has just come back from Afghanistan, and is expecting to see his family at the airport. When he doesn't find them there, Jason goes into a downward spiral, and by the following Monday, things are bad. What happens when he tries to pull himself out of this funk? Can he fix things between himself and Alana?
1. Returning Home

**Friday evening**

Jason yawned as he stepped off the plane with Ray and his teammates. All of them were worse for the wear, having been injured more than once while looking for the ones responsible for the murders of their brothers in Echo Team. But, they were all excited, too. They had avenged their friends, caught those responsible, and were ending their deployment two weeks earlier than expected. They were going home with their families that night. Everyone, except Jason. He had hoped that Alana would bring their kids to the airport to meet him- it wasn't like it was that late at night- but she was nowhere to be seen, and neither were his children.

Jason put on a smile as his team walked past him to find their families. Clay looked back as he joined Stella, a concerned look on his face, but Jason just shook his head and continued to smile. He watched as Lisa joined Danny and kissed him, watched as Mandy, Sonny and Eric all joined their loved ones. He sighed as they climbed into the waiting cars and left, one by one, leaving Jason and Ray behind.

"Hey, Jase, you okay?" asked Ray as he waved to Naima and their baby.

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll see you on Monday," answered Jason with a forced smile. "Alana's just running late."

Ray frowned. "Don't lie to me, Jason."

"I'm not."

"You are. We're not leaving until you do."

"Ray..."

"No. If I tell Naima that you are going with Alana, she'll force you to come with us, and you know that."

"Alana and I agreed that she would come and pick me up so I could spend the weekend with my kids, and so we could talk about things. After the weekend, the kids were coming to spend the week with me while their mother was out of town on business in the apartment I found just before we deployed."

"Jason, I think that those plans may have changed," said Ray gently. "Alana isn't here to pick you up."

"She will be here... She has to be."

Ray just shook his head. "I'm going to cuddle Naima. Why don't you try calling Alana?"

Jason waited until Ray was talking to his wife, then stepped away to where he couldn't be seen. He pulled out his cell phone and found Alana's number, then waited as the phone continued to ring. When her voicemail message came on, Jason hung up, feeling hurt that she had decided to do things her way once again.

"Jason? Where are you?" called Ray a couple of minutes later.

Jason sighed. He stepped back into the carpark, phone in hand, and found not only Ray, but Naima looking for him. "Sorry, guys," he said, "I was on the phone."

"She didn't answer, did she?" Ray asked.

"No."

"Naima was telling me that she spoke to Alana this morning, after I called to let her know we were leaving Afghanistan."

"Did she say if she was coming?" Jason asked Naima.

"She said that she wasn't sure," admitted Naima, "she thinks that picking you up would give you the idea that she hasn't decided what to do about your relationship."

Jason didn't know what to say. He was shocked that Alana was acting like that, especially after their conversation before leaving Jalalabad.

"You're welcome to come home with us," said Naima, breaking through his thoughts. "You're always welcome."

"Thanks... Maybe I might just get a cab and go home. You guys need some time to be a family before I intrude again."

"You aren't intruding, Jase. You're my best friend," said Ray.

"Still, I think I just want to go home. I'll see you on Monday, Ray. Good night."

Jason didn't wait around to hear anything else. He walked off, calling a cab as he moved towards the front of the airport. He had no doubt that Ray would be following him, but he had meant it when he said that he wanted to be alone.

* * *

The drive to Jason's apartment was quick, since the apartment was closer to his work than the house had been, but it was painfully boring at the same time. He didn't have the distraction of his children wanting hugs and not wanting to leave his side, so his sadness was all he could think of. It was all-consuming, so that by the time the cab had dropped him off, Jason wanted nothing more than to drown his pain with alcohol.

Dropping his backpack by the front door, Jason made a beeline for the kitchen. He grabbed a six pack of beer from the fridge and returned to his couch, planning on staying there until he was numb and, preferably, asleep. He opened the first bottle and drank, feeling the coolness of the liquid burn his throat as it went down.

"You don't want me, Alana," he said to himself, "fine. But, you don't get to stop my kids from seeing me."


	2. Bad News

**Monday morning**

Ray walked into Bravo team's locker room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully. "How were your work free weekends?"

"You didn't hear, did you?" asked Mandy, her tone of voice subdued.

"Hear what?"

"We've been calling you all morning," said Clay. "Where's your phone?"

Ray frowned. He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. "It's off," he said sheepishly as pressed the power button. "What were you calling about?"

Everyone looked to Clay. Despite being the newest team member, he had been the one to tell everyone what was going on. It was clear that the team wanted him to explain it to Ray now.

"Well," said Clay hesitantly, "it's about Jason..."

"What about him?"

"Check your phone. You should have a couple of missed calls from his cell. And, those calls were not made by Jason."

Ray was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach now. He looked through his call log, skipping over his teammates' missed calls from that morning until he found the last one from Jason's phone. It was made at six in the morning.

"Ray, the person that made those calls- she's a nurse," Clay was saying. "She works at Bethesda Naval Hospital."

"What happened?" Ray asked, knowing that something bad was coming.

"She said that she tried to call you, that you're Jason's emergency contact, and that she tried calling all his other emergency contacts. I was the last one, a new entry, apparently."

"What happened?" Ray asked again.

"Jason was in a car accident this morning..."

Ray looked over at Clay in shock. "What?"

"It wasn't his fault, but the nurse did say that he had alcohol in his system. He wasn't over the limit, but he probably didn't have the reflexes to avoid a crash, either."

"You said it wasn't his fault."

"It wasn't. The driver of the other car fell asleep at the wheel and swerved into Jason's lane, but Jason didn't try to get out of the way."

"Is he okay?" Ray asked, dreading the answer.

"He's unconscious, but he should be okay," said Sonny when he saw Clay struggling with the real answer. "We tried to call Alana, but we couldn't get through to her."

Ray shook his head. "I'll call her. She needs to know... Can we go see him?"

"Not sure yet. We're waiting for Blackburn to get back to us. I'm guessing that he's going to say no, but if you leave now, he won't know you were here. You'll be able to see Jason, or at least be at the hospital, before he calls you."

"Okay... I'll call Alana from the car."

"Let us know how he is when you get there."

Ray nodded. "I will," he said as he ran out the door.

* * *

It didn't take long for Ray to arrive at the hospital. He found that he waited longer to find out where Jason was. While he waited to speak with Jason's doctor, Ray dialed Alana's cell phone number again, hoping to get an answer this time. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that Jason was in the hospital, but he knew that he would rather tell her than tell Jason's children that they might not ever see their father again.

"Ray? What is it? I'm in the middle of showing a house," answered Alana a minute later.

"Alana, Jason is laying in a hospital bed. He's unconscious," said Ray.

"What?!"

"If you had answered your phone this morning, you would have known that. You need to get down here with your kids. Now."

"Is he dying?"

Ray heard the fear in her voice, but it did nothing to calm him down. "Alana, he had been drinking. I'm willing to bet that he's been drinking since Friday night, after you failed to bring his children to meet him at the airport."

"He was drunk?"

"No. He had work today, there's no way that he would come in drunk." Ray sighed. "Get here, now, Alana... I have to go, Jason's doctor is here." Ray hung up and looked at the doctor in front of him. "How's Jason?"

"Amazingly, Mr Hayes will be fine, but he is going to stay here for a week or two. He hit his head on the steering wheel, which is why he's unconscious. Mr Hayes also has a few broken ribs, but, all in all, he escaped the accident almost unscathed."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, just be careful with him. I'm hoping he might wake up soon." The doctor looked away for a second. "Did anyone get through to Mr Hayes' next of kin?"

"Yes. Hopefully she'll be here soon with their children. I have no doubt that Emma and Mike can wake their father up- he's been desperate to see them now that our deployment is over."

"When did you return?" asked the doctor as they walked through corridors and into a ward.

"Friday afternoon."

"He still hasn't seen his children?"

"I doubt it. He was supposed to spend the weekend with them, but something tells me that he didn't."

"How old are his children?"

"Emma's fifteen, Mike is ten. We got home just in time for his birthday in two weeks time."

"Poor guy... It would explain why he has alcohol in his system, despite being unable to smell it on his breath."

"Jason probably had far too much over the weekend, but he would have stopped before lunch yesterday so he didn't have to miss work today." Ray shook his head as he entered Jason's room. "Jase, what did you do to yourself, man?"

"I'll give you half an hour, then he needs some quiet. If his family arrive before then, I'll send them in," the doctor said as he left the room.


	3. Team Reactions

The team watched Ray leave, then returned to their nervous pacing. They all wanted to race down to the hospital and see Jason for themselves, but there was no point in that. They wouldn't be allowed near their friend until his family arrived, and they weren't Ray, so they couldn't play the 'emergency contact' card either.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Mandy asked quietly.

"Of course he will... right?" said Davis.

"Jason will be fine," said Sonny. "He'll get back to normal and be at work next week."

"Yeah that's true," chimed in Clay. "Jason has never given up on his team, he won't start now."

"Okay, everyone, listen up please!" called a new voice. The remaining team members all looked up at the sound of their commanding officer's voice. "Where's Ray?" asked Blackburn.

"Clay finally managed to get through to him," said Davis, "Ray's probably at Bethesda by now."

"Alright. Well, in that case, the rest of you can come with me. I have something to show you."

"You know we don't want to work, right?" asked Clay.

"This is not the work you think. I want you to find the person responsible for Jason's accident. I've got some footage for you to look through."

"I thought they got the guy?"

"They did, but he says that he wasn't driving. The footage backs him up. Someone else was driving. I want to know if things are really an accident, or if something was going on."

"Okay," said Mandy. "We want Jason to be safe, of course."

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

Mandy had just looked at the footage from a camera that had caught Jason's car accident, and she was worried. After the crash, the driver had fled the scene, limping but otherwise unhurt. They looked familiar, but Mandy couldn't place the person. She had called a friend of hers at the CIA for a favour, which she hoped would work out. They were supposed to be safe now that they were back in DC. So why did Mandy feel like this was not a random incident, that the driver had walked away after purposefully causing the accident?

"Hey, Mandy? Where are you going?" called Sonny just a moment later.

"To get some air. You watched the video, doesn't it bother you that someone put Jason in hospital?" Mandy replied.

"We don't know for sure that that was the intention. Until we find that guy, there's no proof that this wasn't just an accident."

"I know this wasn't an accident, Sonny. That person walked away. He didn't even stop to check if Jason was okay, or even if his passenger was okay. Don't tell me that you think it was an accident."

"Well... I don't think it was an accident. But, I won't let that cloud my judgement either. If this guy did this on purpose, then he'll get what he deserves, especially if Emma and Mike find out. If it really was an accident, then we'll leave the guy alone."

"Why didn't he check on them if it was an accident?"

"Maybe he was scared? It could be any number of reasons for it."

"I don't care if he was scared. Jason could have died in that crash."

"But he didn't, Mandy. Jason's going to be fine. You'll see. Ray will call soon enough and tell us that we were all worried for nothing. In fact, Jason's probably giving the nurses hell as we speak."

Mandy gave him a weak smile. She knew he was right, but she was still worried for her friend. He had helped her when she had been kidnapped in Pakistan, now she wanted to help him in return.

* * *

Sonny watched Mandy walk away, then groaned. He didn't believe a word of what he had said, if he was honest with himself. He had no idea if Jason was going to be okay. He didn't even know how badly Jason had been hurt. He was just trying to help his friends feel better, but he supposed that wouldn't really work until he felt better himself. He just wished that Ray would call with some news, hopefully good, and then he would feel a lot better about everything. Sonny knew that everyone thought he didn't really get along well with others, but he was just a little more hot-headed then they were. Jason knew that, and he had still welcomed him onto the team, made him feel welcome and feel at home. The team leader was younger than Sonny, but still was able to command everyone's respect in the team, and had then ensured they all respected Sonny. He had friends now, thanks to Jason. He felt like he owed Jason a lot, especially when he had saved him in Afghanistan after he had been blown away by that bomb.

"Damn it!" swore Sonny as he finally realised the full impact of that morning's horrible news. "This guy had better be sorry when we find him," he said to the empty hallway.


	4. Emma and Mike Arrive

"Miss Hayes? I need you to come to my office," said Principal Stevens quietly after he found Emma at her locker.

"Why?" asked Emma. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, you aren't. Your mother called- she's on her way to pick you up. I'll explain why in my office."

"Okay... Does it have something to do with my dad?" Emma asked as she shut her locker and followed the principal.

"It does."

"He's in Afghanistan. Did he get injured over there?"

Principal Stevens didn't answer until he closed his office door a couple of minutes later. "Emma, your dad was in a car accident. Not in Afghanistan, though. He's here."

"What?"

"Did you not know he was home? Mr Hayes always picks you up after being deployed for so long."

"I didn't know he was home, and dad would never have forgotten to tell us he was home." Emma felt angry, not at her dad, but at her mother for not telling them that their beloved father was finally back from a war torn country. "Is dad okay?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question, Emma. Sorry."

"When is my mum coming?"

"I expect that she'll be here any moment. Do you need anything from your locker?"

"No. I didn't empty my bag this morning."

"Okay. You can wait in here. I'll be back when your mother gets here."

"Thank you." Emma sighed the moment the door closed. Was her dad really home? Or was this a giant mistake? Her beloved dad had to be okay- he had always been safe before, despite his dangerous job.

* * *

Alana had just picked up Michael and was on her way to pick up Emma when she realised just how badly hurt Jason could be. She could feel the tears prickling in her eyes as she found a parking spot outside Emma's high school.

"I'll be back in a minute, Mike," she said as she got out of the car.

Wiping her eyes as she walked up the footpath to the front office, Alana forced herself to not cry. She'd cry later, if she needed to, when her children weren't around. She needed to stay strong, especially for Emma, since she was so close with her father. Alana had no doubts in her mind that Emma was going to be angry with her. Emma would have easily put together the fact that she and her brother had been lied to and kept away from Jason over the weekend.

"Ms Hayes, please follow me. Emma's in my office," said Principal Stevens when Alana had entered the office.

"Thank you," said Alana. "Did you tell her?"

"Yes. I have to warn you, Alana- Emma is angry. I'm not sure whether it's towards you or Jason, but she is very angry."

"I thought she would be. I know she would have put it together as soon as you told her that his accident was here, not overseas."

"It isn't my business, but why didn't you just let them see their dad? It would most likely have saved a lot of trouble for you."

"I don't really know why I did what I did. I think I was still angry with Jason, not that he did anything to deserve it." Alana shook her head. "I need to get Emma and go."

"I know." The principal opened the door to his office. "Emma, your mum is here."

Emma jumped up and glared at Alana. "I want to see dad. And I'm angry with you, by the way."

"I know you are. Let's go. Mike's waiting in the car."

"What happened to dad?"

"All I know is that someone smashed into his car this morning."

"Does Mike know what happened?"

"No. And you are not to tell him. He doesn't need to know what happened as long as your father is alright."

"Why didn't you tell us he was home?"

Alana hesitated. She considered lying for a moment, but then thought better of it. Her daughter was already angry with her, she really didn't need to make it worse. "I was angry with him. I was trying to punish him."

"What for? Keeping our country safe? Or for keeping another country safe? Or was it because he deployed two weeks earlier than you had prepared yourself for? That wasn't fair, mum. Dad didn't do anything wrong."

"I know he didn't. I was just angry, and that is all you need to know." Alana got into the car and waited until Emma was buckled into her seat before driving off, all without another word.

* * *

Ray looked up as the door to Jason's hospital room opened. He smiled as Emma and Mike raced into the room.

"Ray?" asked Emma.

"Yes?"

"Is dad sleeping? Or is he unconscious?"

"Unconscious. His doctor said he should wake soon, but that he might wake earlier if you and Mike are talking to him."

Emma nodded and turned to her dad. "Hi, dad! Welcome home! We missed you. Mike was getting more upset the closer it got to his birthday because he wasn't sure if you would be home in time for it. He doesn't want a party this year- he just wants to spend some time with you."

Jason didn't answer, but there was definitely a response to Emma's chat. Emma felt her dad's hand close around her own, and, when she looked over at her brother to tell him, she noticed that Jason was also holding Mike's hand.

"Dad? Can you hear us?" asked Mike, his eyes brimming with tears.

The only response was another squeeze of their hands, but it was enough. Mike burst into tears, his face hidden in the blankets, and Emma sniffled as she leaned forward to hug her dad. They didn't notice that Jason had opened his eyes yet.


	5. Jason Wakes

Mike was the first to notice that his dad was awake. After a moment, Mike grinned and let go of Jason's hand, then wrapped his arms around his dad's stomach instead.

"I missed you so much, dad," he whispered.

"Missed the both of you, too," Jason replied quietly. "I think that Emma might be trying to squash me, though. Can you get her off me for a moment, Mike?"

Mike nodded. He tapped Emma's shoulder. "Em? Dad wants to sit up, I think. You're kind of making that impossible."

"Dad's awake? When did he wake up?" Emma said excitedly as she climbed onto the bed.

"While you were busy squashing all the air out of me," laughed Jason once he had sat himself up. He held his arms out, completely ignoring the monitors that were attached to most of his body. "Come here, both of you."

Mike didn't move. He had missed his dad, of course, but he was scared. He didn't like seeing Jason hurt after a day of training, let alone after something serious. What if something happened while they were cuddling him? Emma didn't seem to have these thoughts and worries- she was cuddling him tightly, her face buried in his chest.

"Mikey? What's the matter? Did you not miss me?" Jason asked playfully, though there was a note of concern in his voice.

"Are you okay, dad?" Mike asked.

"Of course I am! Actually, that's not true. I will be okay, once you come here and cuddle me!"

Mike smiled a little. He slowly moved closer and wrapped his arms around his dad's stomach. Jason felt the hesitation and wrapped his free arm around his son's back, giving him a one armed cuddle. Finally, Mike relaxed and hugged his dad properly.

"Never be afraid of hurting me, Mikey," said Jason quietly, so only his son could hear him. "No matter what, you and your sister can never hurt me."

"I missed you, dad," said Mike after a moment. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

"Dad?" asked Emma's muffled voice.

"Yeah, Emma?"

"Are you really okay?"

"Of course. I'll be fine in a few days."

"A few days? That's a long time..."

"No, it isn't. I'll be home by the weekend."

"But..."

"There's no buts."

"I want to stay here with you."

"As much as I would love to have you and your brother here with me all day, every day, you both have school. If you want to come after school, that's fine, but you will not be missing out on school."

"We are today."

"That's different, though if I had it my way, the two of you would be going back to school right now." Jason grinned cheekily.

"Dad!" Emma and Mike said together.

"I'm kidding. I'll let you stay today." Jason looked over to the door and saw Alana talking to Ray. "If your mother is okay with that, anyway," he added bitterly.

"Of course they can stay," said Alana.

"Gee, thanks," said Jason sarcastically.

"I'm going to find the doctor and get some information. I'll leave the kids here."

Jason waited for the door to close behind Alana before turning to Ray. "Why am I sitting in a hospital bed?"

"You were in a car accident this morning. Another car slammed into yours after the driver fell asleep at the wheel," answered Ray.

"Was it bad?" asked Mike.

"I don't think it was too bad, Mikey. Your dad seems to be okay."

"I'm fine," said Jason. "Hey, Ray? Did the doctor say anything about when I can get out of here?"

"Yeah... In a week or two," laughed Ray. "I think he'll amend that once he's examined you properly."

"Which I'm here to do now," said a new arrival. "I'm Doctor Scott, Mr Hayes."

"I wish I could say that it's nice to meet you," replied Jason, "but considering the circumstances, it really isn't that great. No offence or anything."

"I understand." The doctor smiled. "It's still nice to meet you though."

"Definitely, doc."

"Okay. I think your children should step out of the room for a few minutes. They don't need to see their father being examined."

"No, they don't." Jason looked at his two favourite people. "Em, Mikey, go down to the cafeteria and find something to eat. You can use my card... Who left my wallet here?"

"I did. The doctor gave it to me, so I left it there while I was in the room," answered Ray just as his phone rang. "And that's Blackburn. I better go answer it before he kills me."

"Why would he kill you?"

"Possibly because I didn't tell him I was coming here. We were supposed to wait for him to check if there was anything we needed to do, but I wasn't going to wait for him while you were injured." Ray grinned and walked out.

"Do you want us to get you anything, dad?" asked Emma.

"No. Just go find something for lunch. And get something for your mother, too."

"Aren't you coming with us, mum?" asked Mike, though he thought he probably knew the answer to that.

"No. I need to call your schools and tell them that you won't be back today," answered Alana. She stepped out of the room, phone in hand.

"Okay," said Emma. "We'll come back in a little while, dad. We might stop at the gift shop on the way back."

"I figured you would," said Jason with a smile.

Emma laughed and walked out with Mike behind her. Jason watched them go, then turned to his doctor.

"How bad are things?" he asked.


	6. Results

"Why would you assume things are bad?" asked Dr Scott.

"Because Alana came. And she actually brought my two children here," answered Jason as he tried to make himself more comfortable without sitting on any cords.

"She came because she feels bad, I think. Your friend, Ray, told me that you and your team returned from Afghanistan on Friday, and that your wife was supposed to bring your children to the airport to meet you."

"Well, I was supposed to have them over the weekend, and all of this week. Alana and I are separated, and heading for divorce, apparently. She didn't really give me a chance to think about that before I left."

"I think that's probably something you need to discuss with her," said the doctor as he pulled a light from his pocket. "As for your injuries, things aren't as bad as you think. You have a mild concussion from hitting the steering wheel with your head, and some broken ribs. I want to keep you here at least until the weekend, just for observation purposes. That will allow your body to begin healing without you overdoing things."

"You know that I work for the navy, don't you?"

"Yes. That's why I want you to stay here for a week. You're a seal, and I know very well that that is a dangerous job."

"Were you a seal?"

"I was. I lasted two years before I decided that wasn't for me." He turned on the light and flashed it into Jason's eyes.

Jason grimaced at the brightness that suddenly assaulted his eyes, but he didn't end up with a headache, so he thought that was a good sign. He'd had a couple of concussions in his life, and each time he had been checked out afterwards, the light had left his head throbbing.

"Too much?" asked the doctor in concern.

"No, it's not that bad. I've had way worse concussions before."

"That's not exactly a good thing, Mr Hayes."

"Jason. And, I know it isn't, but that's what happens in hockey."

"You play hockey?"

"I did in college. Sometimes I'll play on the weekends, usually when I have my son. He likes hockey too."

Dr Scott put the penlight back into his pocket and put on his stethoscope. He placed it onto Jason's chest as he asked, "does your son play in a team?"

"No. He likes it, but more so on TV than anything else. He and I play one on one."

"What about your daughter? Does she join in?"

"Emma hates sports. She plays them at school in her physical education class, but that's about it. She's more into reading."

"She certainly is a smart girl."

"Definitely. Emma wants to be a doctor after school, so she's trying to work on the subjects that she needs for it."

"Maybe I can help her a little bit? Offer her some advice or give her some information?"

"That would be great." Jason smiled. "It's very nice of you."

Dr Scott took off his stethoscope and hung it around his neck again. He grabbed Jason's chart. "I don't mind. I would hope that if my daughter needed information on a future career, someone would be nice enough to help her." He made a few notes on the chart.

"Can you take off these monitors?" Jason asked after a few minutes.

"Yes."

"Really?" Jason asked incredulously.

"Really. You're awake, I'm happy with your health after examining you. There's no reason why you need to stay on the machines. If things change, then we can always reattach the monitors."

"Thanks." Jason smiled happily. "I think my kids will be happy about this."

"Now they can cuddle their father without anything being in the way."

* * *

"Hi, Eric," said Ray hesitantly into his phone.

"Ray, where are you?" asked Blackburn.

"At the hospital, with Jason."

"Good. I was wondering where you were. The team said you didn't come to work this morning and I thought something might have happened to you, too."

"No, I'm fine. Clay called to tell me that Jason was injured, so I came straight to the hospital."

"How is Jason?"

"He's good. He woke up about half an hour ago. The doctor is checking him over as we speak."

"That's good to hear. Is he going home?"

"No. His doctor thinks it will be better if Jason stays here this week. He has a few broken ribs, and we both know what Jason's like- he won't stop moving around at home, and that will just make his ribs worse."

"Agreed. Okay, tell Jason that we'll come and see him later."

"I will," said Ray before hanging up. He sighed in relief, having thought that he was in trouble.

"Ray! Get back in here already! I want to know what Blackburn wanted!" came Jason's voice.

Ray shook his head in exasperation. Jason really liked to torment him sometimes, and he definitely welcomed that torment now. It made things feel right.

"What did Blackburn want?" Jason asked once Ray had settled in a chair.

"To know where I was. The team must have covered for me- they told him I didn't turn up at work this morning, but that was a lie. I did go, because that was when Clay told me what had happened to you. My phone was off overnight, so I missed the calls from the hospital."

"Never turn your phone off," teased Jason, imitating Blackburn's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I regretted turning it off, that's for sure."

"You had no idea that this was going to happen, Ray. That's not your fault. Anyway, did you get into trouble with Blackburn?"

"No. He told me that he was happy to hear that you're okay, and he said to tell you that the team will come later to see you. Listen, they don't know that you were drinking all weekend, Jase. When did you stop drinking?"

"Yesterday... I know it was a dumb idea, but I was so upset with Alana. I couldn't help it."

"She's definitely worried now. I could hear the fear in her voice when I finally got through to her and told her you were unconscious."

"Did she happen to tell you why she decided to not bring Mike and Emma to the airport on Friday?"

"No. I didn't ask, and I wasn't going to. I figured you might want to do that."

"Oh, I do. But I won't do it in front of my children. Do you think you could go find them in the cafeteria and keep them busy for about an hour?"

"Of course I can. Call me when you're ready to see them again." Ray pointed to the top drawer of the bedside table. "You're phone is in there. It's a bit scratched up, but since you had it in your pocket, it didn't get broken."

"Thanks, Ray."

"Anytime. I really hope you work things out, by the way."

"Yeah... Me too."


	7. Alana and Jason Talk

"Where's Ray? Where are the kids?" asked Alana as she stepped back into the room. "And what happened to all the machines that were on half an hour ago?"

"I don't need them. Ray's watching Emma and Mike for a while, because we need to talk, Alana," said Jason.

"Talk about what?"

"You know what. First, you decide that it's time for a divorce. Okay, I can understand that. What I didn't understand was why you never gave me a chance to think things through, to fight it. That wasn't fair. Then, when I told you I was on my way back to the states and I asked you to bring the kids to the airport, you said okay. But you lied. You didn't bring them, you left me stranded at the airport without even so much as a phone call or text telling me you couldn't be there. Did you know that Ray tried to give you the benefit of the doubt? Tried to tell me that maybe you were busy, or that you mixed up the dates? I knew you did it on purpose. I don't understand why. I haven't done anything to you."

"Jason, I'm sorry..."

"Sorry just doesn't cut it this time, Alana. Everything always had to be about you. Always. I wasn't talking to you, so you just assumed that I wasn't talking to anyone. You always had to have the kids, regardless of whether I was home or at work. You always had to do what you wanted, despite the feelings you hurt. You didn't care, and you still don't. Even in our marriage, everything had to be your way- the house is where you want it, the way it's decorated is your choice. And I was willing to let that go because I loved you... I still love you, Alana. I want us to be a family, but you need to understand that you can't treat people like they're nothing. You can't always have your way."

"I don't..."

"Yes, you do. Don't deny it. Everyone can see it, Alana. Even the kids can see it. Did you know that they want to live with me? They want to stay at my apartment, rather than in your house. Doesn't that make you upset?"

"Of course it does. They are my children, after all."

"So tell me why you're doing this. Why are you breaking up our family? What did I do to you?"

Alana hesitated. "You didn't do anything to me, Jason," she finally admitted. "I love you, but I don't know how to do this anymore! I can't worry every time you deploy or go on a mission!"

"You never worry, Alana."

"Of course I do! How could you think that?"

"How could I think that? Alana, you never once asked if I was alright when I returned from a mission or a deployment. You never said anything if I had a nightmare or a flashback. What was I supposed to think?"

"I didn't realise that I never asked... Would you have answered me honestly?"

"Of course I would have. I would have felt comfortable to talk about what was happening in my head."

Alana nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, really. I didn't notice that I was doing that to you." She paused for a moment. "Will you forgive me? Can we try again?"

"I don't know if I can forgive what you've put me through, Alana, but I am willing to try and put this is in the past. I want to be a family."

* * *

Ray was outside the gift shop, waiting for Emma and Mike when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw Blackburn's cell number on the screen and sighed.

"What now?" he asked when he answered the phone.

"Ray, I need to tell you something. Is Jason near you?"

"No, but his kids are. Why?"

"Because they don't need to hear this until we confirm that it's true."

"Confirm what is true?" Ray asked as he moved towards the opposite wall.

"We got footage from Jason's accident. We all watched it- someone walked away from the accident."

"Who? The driver was still in the car."

"He wasn't the driver. According to this footage, the driver walked away from the scene."

"Did he check on either of his victims?"

"No."

"You're not thinking..."

"I don't know what to think, Ray, but we need to err on the side of caution until we know the truth. Where's Jason right now?"

"In his hospital bed."

"Alana?"

"With him. Jason wanted to talk to her."

"Go and check on him, Ray."

"I am not interrupting them while they're working things out. If you want to interrupt, call him. He has his phone with him."

Ray heard a sigh from the other end of the line before Blackburn said, "fine. I'll call him, but you need to get back up there now."

"As soon as his two children are done in the gift shop, I'll go back up. That's the deal I made with Jason, and I won't leave his kids alone in the hospital. He wouldn't do that to me." Ray hung up his phone, but he felt uneasy now. What if Blackburn's impressions were correct? Would Jason be safe in the hospital? Was his accident just that, or was it done on purpose?

"Hey, Ray? Did you hear us?" Emma asked.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something. What did you say? Ray replied as he tried to forget about Blackburn's call.

"I said, we're finished. Can we go back to dad now?"

"Sure. Your dad might need us if Eric calls him anyway," grinned Ray, though he felt nothing like grinning at that moment.


	8. Blackburn's Call

Jason was about to say something else to Alana when his phone rang. Curious as to who would be calling, since only Ray knew he had his phone, he pressed 'answer'.

"Hello?" he asked.

"It's good to hear your voice, Jason."

"Blackburn?" asked Jason.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I'll be back at work next week."

"We need to talk about something. Are you alone?"

"No."

"Is Alana there?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Jase, there's something funny going on. Your accident doesn't seem to be an innocent accident. We got camera footage from the scene."

"Why do you want me to be alone before you tell me?"

"Well... we all agree that... maybe... Alana might have something to do with this."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"I know that it's hard to imagine she would do this..."

"Blackburn, you listen to me. She would never do that. Never. I don't want to hear that you are blaming her. Accidents are accidents."

"Jason..."

"No, Eric. I don't want to hear it. Goodbye." Jason ended the call and threw the phone onto the bed. He looked up at Alana to see that she was startled, and to find Ray and his children in the doorway, their mouths open in surprise.

"Jason?" asked Alana. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, guys... I just... I..."

"Jase, was that Blackburn?" Ray asked as he led the two stunned children into the room.

"Yeah. I'm probably in a lot of trouble now, but I won't let him do it."

"Do what, dad?" asked Mike.

"Uh... nothing, Mikey. Just stuff to do with work."

"Maybe I should take the kids home and give you some time to rest, Jason. We'll come back for dinner," said Alana as she stood up.

"Yeah... that might be a good idea. Just don't forget to bring them back." Jason glanced at his kids. "Please," he added.

Ray looked troubled as Alana, Mike and Emma walked out of the room and closed the door. He could tell his friend was pissed off, and he wanted to tread lightly so he didn't make it worse.

"Did you know about this?" Jason asked finally.

"Blackburn?"

"Yes."

"No, I didn't. He called me to find out if I was still with you. He told me of his suspicions when he called."

"He doesn't really believe that Alana is responsible for this, does he?"

"I don't know. He sounded convinced."

"What footage is he talking about?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen it."

"I can trust you, right?"

"Of course you can."

"Go back to work. I want you to watch that video, then tell me what's on it, Ray. I want to know why they would think Alana's trying to kill me. We might be having some trouble, but there's just no way that she would do that."

"I know she wouldn't."

"Ray, please, will you check for me?"

Ray nodded. "Of course I will. I'll call you in a couple of hours with my opinion."

* * *

Alana locked her front door behind her once they were home. She had been confused just as much as everyone else by Jason's anger. She knew that it was his boss on the phone, which was what had originally shocked her. Jason had never hung up on anyone before, and especially not his boss. She wondered what they had spoken about. Jason's side of the conversation hadn't really given her anything to go on.

"Mum?" asked Emma.

"Yes, Em?"

"Is dad okay? He was really angry."

"He'll be fine."

"What happened?"

"As far as I can tell, his boss must have said something he didn't agree with. I've never heard your father speak like that with anybody before."

"You're worried, aren't you?"

Alana hesitated. Her daughter didn't really need to know that she was scared for Jason, but Emma was a smart girl. She would figure it out eventually.

"Mum?" Emma asked again.

"Yes. I am worried about him," she admitted. "Not his injuries. I know he'll heal quickly. I'm more worried about what was said to him on the phone."

"Do you know what it was about?"

"No. I get the feeling that your dad is never going to tell me, either."

"I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble..."

"So do I, Emma, so do I."

"Can we go back to the hospital tonight?"

"Of course we can. What do you think your dad will want for dinner?"

"Same thing he always does," said Mike as he entered the room again. "Burgers from Kenny's Steak House."

"Mike's right. That's always been dad's favourite thing to eat after deployments," said Emma.

"Right. We can stop and get dinner from the steak house before we head back. I want you both to go and get your things ready for school tomorrow, because we may have a late night ahead of us," Alana told the two kids. She waited for them to leave the room before sighing and picking up her cell phone to call Blackburn.

* * *

Ray still didn't understand what it was that had made the team believe that Alana was somehow involved in Jason's accident. He had watched the camera footage twice, and was just about to watch it a third time, but he still hadn't seen anything useful. It all looked like a true accident on Jason's part, and like the other driver had intended to hurt his passenger. Jason had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What are you doing here, Ray?" asked Lisa. "I thought you would still be with Jase."

"He wants to know what proof there is that Alana caused his accident." Ray shrugged. "I don't get it. There's no proof."

"I agree that there's no proof. I think we all just thought that she arranged it."

"I doubt that. Alana and Jason are not really getting along right now, but I spoke to her and I saw her today. She's terrified for Jason. She wouldn't have done that to him."

"I hope you're right, Ray."

"I am." He turned the footage off. "I need to get back to the hospital and calm Jason down before his family goes back for dinner with him. Where's Blackburn?"

"Behind you," said Blackburn.

"Why the hell did you call him and tell him that you think it's Alana's fault? He's so angry. He scared his children."

 **A/N: Sorry everyone... The next chapter might be a while. I need to write it.**


	9. Trying to Get to the Truth

Blackburn sighed. "I called him, Ray, because I had to make sure he was safe."

"Why wouldn't he be safe? Alana won't hurt him," said Ray. "What makes you think she would? I don't see any proof on this video of her involvement."

"I think she organised it. After all, it's not like she hasn't ever hurt him in the past."

"Cheating on someone is not the same thing as attempting to kill them. You didn't see her, Eric. She was afraid that she'd arrive at the hospital and Jason would be dead. She was scared."

"She could have just faked feeling scared."

"That was not fake fear. She was genuinely afraid." Ray shook his head. "You need to apologise to him, before Alana finds out what made Jason so angry."

"She's not going to find out..." Blackburn was cut off by his ringing phone. "Excuse me," he said as he looked at the caller ID. "Isn't that Alana's number?"

"It is. I'll bet she wants to know what you said to anger her husband." Ray smirked. "Good luck explaining that one to her. You better pray that their kids aren't in the room with her." He smirked again and walked out, leaving his boss to speak with Alana.

* * *

Alana was getting impatient when Blackburn finally answered her call.

"Alana? Is there a problem?" Blackburn asked calmly.

"A problem? Not with me... yet. What the hell did you do to Jason? He hung up on you, that's how angry you made him. He's never hung up on anyone before," said Alana as quietly as she could so she wouldn't catch the attention of her children.

"I didn't say anything..."

"Don't lie to me. I know you said something he didn't like. I was sitting with him when you called."

"Alana..."

"Don't try to change the subject, Eric. Tell me what upset him, otherwise I'll ask Ray, because he knows what's going on."

"I need to go, Alana. Duty calls."

Alana swore under her breath. "Eric, don't you hang up on me," she growled through the phone, but he had already hung up. "Damn it!"

"Mum? Is something wrong?" asked Mike as he entered the room with his schoolbag.

"Sorry, Mikey. Everything's fine," Alana tried to reassure him.

"Why were you swearing then?"

"Just some phone troubles. Where's your sister?"

"Coming. She said she wanted to do something before we go back to dad."

"Alright." Alana sighed. "I'm going to get some clothes for your father. I'll be right back."

Mike nodded and went over to sit on the couch while he waited.

* * *

Jason was much calmer by the time Ray returned to his hospital room. His anger had abated, and curiousity had now replaced it. He wanted to know why everyone thought his wife would be trying to kill him.

"Hey, Jase. Are you better now?" Ray asked carefully.

"Yeah... Sorry for the outburst earlier. I just think it's insane that anyone would believe Alana would try to kill me," replied Jason.

"I reviewed the camera footage. I found absolutely no sign of Alana being involved in the accident. Honestly, it looked like you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Did you tell that to Blackburn?"

"Yes. He still thinks she's involved."

"Why?"

"He thinks that she doesn't want you around anymore. He hasn't forgotten how upset you were at work after you found out that she cheated on you."

"Cheating is a far cry from murder."

"That's what I said. It didn't help."

"He's gone crazy, Ray. Did something happen to him that we don't know about in Afghanistan?"

"Probably not. Unless he was more affected by that helicopter crash than we were."

"Maybe..." Jason grinned. "Hey, Ray, you should mention that to him."

"Are you insane?! I'd be dead before I finished the sentence!"

Jason laughed. "I would never do that to you. Although, I wouldn't mind asking what his problem is."

"I think Alana beat you to it," admitted Ray. "She called just before I left, and I think that Blackburn was dreading her call, honestly."

"Good. Alana should know the truth."

"You want her to find out that people think she tried to kill you?"

"Yes. She'll go ballistic and knock some sense into them." Jason shrugged. "It'll do them some good. Besides, better Alana than me. I'll do a hell of a lot more than knock sense into them if they don't figure out that Alana has nothing to do with this before I get back to work."

* * *

"Okay, you two," said Alana as she came into her living room with a bag. "Let's get dinner and head back to your dad. I need to speak with him about something."

"Is everything okay, mum?" asked Emma. "Mike said he heard you swear at someone on the phone before."

"Everything's fine. I was swearing at the phone, not at a person."

"I hope so. You never get mad with anyone. It'll be scary seeing you angry."

"You won't need to see me angry, Em, so long as your dad tells me the truth when I speak to him."

"Don't get angry at dad. He's in the hospital. He's hurt," said Mike as they climbed into the car.

"I won't, don't worry. I have a feeling that your dad wants to tell me the truth now that he's calmed down." Alana had received a text from Ray as she finished packing Jason's clothes to tell her that Jason was ready for them to come back. "He's probably bored, as well. When we get to the hospital, you two can go to the newsstand and find a couple of magazines for him to read. I'll give you the money for them."


	10. Back to Normal

**A/N: This is the final chapter...**

* * *

Jason yawned just as his hospital door opened. He smiled softly when he spotted his wife coming in with his favourite food in hand.

"Did I wake you?" Alana asked quietly as she sat on the bed.

"Nah. I'm tired though. Where are the kids?" Jason responded.

"Looking for magazines for you. I asked Ray to go meet them."

Jason nodded. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Does it have something to do with that call before?"

"It does."

"What did Blackburn say, Jase?"

"He told me that there was footage of the accident," said Jason. "He thinks you are responsible for it."

"Why?" Alana asked in a barely controlled tone.

"I don't know. There's no way you would hurt me."

"Of course I wouldn't. Regardless of the problems between us, I wouldn't kill you." Alana smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Jason said as the door opened. "Please don't do anything to him, though."

"What's mum doing?" asked Emma.

"Who is she doing it to?" Mike said.

"None of your business," said Alana and Jason together, though both were smiling.

"We want to know," said Ray with a cheeky grin.

"You do know, Ray," said Jason, "and you are forbidden to tell them. I will hunt you down and kill you if my children find out about it."

"I won't say anything," Ray replied honestly. "But, maybe you should stop discussing it where they might overhear you."

"You could have knocked before bringing them in," Jason pointed out, "but you are right. No more discussion on that topic." He smiled. "Come sit with me," he said to Mike and Emma.

* * *

Jason sighed happily as he woke up in his own bed, next to Alana. It had been five days since he had told Alana about Blackburn's suspicions. A result hadn't been reached yet, but at least Ray had managed to convince the team that there was no way Alana would try to kill him. The police had opened an investigation, and it was looking more and more like an accident on Jason's part, and like attempted murder on the part of the other driver. The police were going to continue to look into it, but they weren't hopeful of finding anything more. That was fine with Jason- he felt safe and that was all he needed.

"Jason, are you sure that you want to go back to work on Monday?" Alana asked as she poured some coffee for the two of them. "The kids are enjoying you dropping them off and picking them up from school."

"I'm sure, Alana. I need to be out of this house. It's boring, although is has been nice to catch up on the tax papers and to finish going through the last of Nate's possessions," said Jason with a smile.

"You seem a lot calmer."

"Well... that could be due to having the three loves of my life back."

"I am happy to have you back, Jase."

"I'm happy to be back." Jason rolled onto his side and noticed the clock. "Crap... It's nearly time for school to start. I better get the kids off to school before they're late!" He scrambled out of bed, leaving Alana laughing at him.

* * *

Jason sighed in relief as he pulled into the high school's car park with five minutes to spare. He looked at his daughter.

"Sorry, Em," he said as she hurried to grab her backpack from the backseat.

"It's okay, dad. I'm not late," replied Emma with a grin. "Besides, if I am, I'll just tell them that you overslept."

"You would blame me?" he asked in mock horror.

Emma laughed. "Totally. Why would I blame myself?"

Jason reached over to give his daughter a one-armed hug. "I love you, Em."

"Love you, too, dad." She climbed out of the car and closed the door, waving goodbye as she headed into the school's front office.

Jason waited until the door closed behind his daughter, then pulled out of his parking spot. He had a doctor's appointment to attend before he was allowed to return to work the following week, then he wanted to head off to the shop to pick up something he had bought the previous day. It was looking like his life was getting back to normal, and that was exactly the way he wanted it to be.

 **The End**


End file.
